Corman: Taxpayer return on higher education merits public investment.

Pennsylvania's $1 Billion Investment ... ... in higher education yields a return to the taxpayers in the form of lower tuition for in-state students, access to higher education for lower-income students and it spurs economic development in host communities, a top Senate Republican whose district includes Penn State University said this afternoon.

Deep cuts to the four state-related universities and the 14 state-owned schools in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education would be "short-sighted," Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Jake Corman, R-Centre, said during a speech to the Pennsylvania Press Club.

And with just about a month to go before the statutory deadline to approve a new state budget, Corman predicted that lawmakers would get a completed spending plan to Gov. Tom Corbett's desk by June 13.

"It's always good to have goals in life," Corman quipped to the crowd of business leaders, public officials and journalists at the Harrisburg Hilton.

The GOP-controlled Senate approved a $27.6 billion budget two weeks ago. That's $500 million more than the $27.14 billion spending plan introduced in February by Gov. Tom Corbett and about 2 percent more than current spending.

The majority-Republican House is set to introduce its own budget plan this week, possibly as early today, with a vote expected during the week of June 4, House Republican spokesman Steve Miskin said last week.

In remarks and a question-and-answer session that lasted about an hour, Corman took in a wide variety of budgetary ground, hinting that there could be further discussions on the administration's proposed elimination of a $319 million account that provides direct cash assistance to the needy.

He also said reforms to the state pension system are likely to take place as a part of budget discussions next year and that he'd prefer it if school districts spend their own reserve accounts before hitting up homeowners for higher taxes.

Corman reserved the majority of his prepared remarks to arguing the case for public investment in public education. The Senate plan flat-funds the state-related and state-owned schools, which respectively came in for 30 percent and 20 percent reductions in the administration's budget plan.

Corman argued that the four, state-related schools (Penn State, Temple, Pitt and Lincoln universities) had only seen their state appropriations grow from $685 million to $688 million between 2002 and 2011.

The 14 state-owned schools (which include Kutztown and East Stroudsburg universities) saw their share of taxpayer funds grow from $471 million to $503 million during the same decade, he argued.

The schools have been "basically flat-funded and have had to make do without," Corman argued.

But even as they've received increases in taxpayer funds, the schools have also passed on sometimes double-digit increases in tuition. In exchange for flat-funding in Senate's budget proposal, leaders at the universities have agreed to keep tuition increases at or below the rate of inflation.

But such an agreement is hardly set in stone. The administration and House still have to weigh in.

Corman summed up his three-pronged argument for taxpayer support by concluding that he believes the schools play a key role in the economic life of the state and that it would be "a short-sighted mistake on our part to walk away," from funding the schools at an adequate level.